J.K. Rowling Mystery Part of BBC One’s New Drama Commissions

LONDON: BBC One has announced a range of new comedy, drama and factual commissions for its fall/winter season, among them an adaptation of J.K. Rowling’s mystery novels The Cuckoo’s Calling and The Silkworm.

Those books, which were published under the pen name Robert Galbraith, will be turned into the series The Cormoran Strike Mysteries. Other drama highlights are Troy: Fall of a City, a multi-part retelling of the Trojan War; the feature-length To Sir with Love, adapted from the autobiographical novel by ER Braithwaite; The Last Post, a series based on Peter Moffatt’s childhood memories; and Rush of Blood, a three-part film version of the Mark Billingham novel.

Comedy commissions include a one-off live edition of the sitcom Mrs Brown’s Boys, alongside celebrations marking the 60th anniversary since the launch of the first BBC sitcom, and the documentary Peter Kay: Twenty years of Funny.

On the factual front, BBC One will present the docuseries Paul O’Grady: The Sally Army & Me and Saving Lives at Sea, plus the two-part How to Stay Young and coverage of the 2016 Invictus Games in Orlando.

Additionally, BBC One will present a new adaptation of William Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream, helmed by former Doctor Who showrunner Russell T Davies.

BBC One Controller Charlotte Moore said: “This autumn, BBC One will bring the nation together with a distinctive mix of high-quality programs that will empower, surprise and inspire audiences. From Abi Morgan’s River to landmark natural history series The Hunt and Great Barrier Reef, original 20-part series Dickensian, Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall’s Waste, to The Night Manager, the epic War and Peace, the Tracey Ullman Show and returning global hits Luther and Sherlock, to name just a few.”

She continued: “Two years into the role and I believe BBC One is more modern, more in touch with the audience, more diverse and more ambitious. I want our drama to take the audience to places they haven’t been before with pioneering new commissions like Troy: The Fall of a City. In factual, I will champion bringing brave, bold, real-life drama to the screen with new shows Saving Lives at Sea and Paul O’Grady’s Salvation Army. Across the schedule, I’m determined to create more shared experiences by originating event television that cuts through, disrupts the schedule and gets the nation talking like our new landmark sitcom season and the Invictus Games in 2016.”

The executive concluded: “BBC One’s commitment to ambitious and pioneering television like this is unrivalled. When you see my autumn/winter schedule, I hope you will be blown away by the range, the quality and the extraordinary lineup. It demonstrates a channel that’s distinctive, best in class, and at the top of its game, raising the bar of what British television can offer. We all know BBC One’s remit is to entertain, educate and inform for a mainstream audience. But tonight I want to make three promises. BBC One will be defined in the coming years by its commitment to risk taking. I will guarantee investment in innovation. And I will challenge every new commission to break the mold.”